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Monday December 13, 1915
From The Survey: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Victorious in Long Contest with Paterson

The Survey of December 11th described the long one-woman free speech fight, a contest fought between Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and the city of Paterson, New Jersey, which ended on the evening of November 30th with a victory for Miss Flynn:

ELIZABETH FLYNN'S CONTEST WITH PATERSON
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ELIZABETH GURLEY FLYNN, I. W. W. leader in the Paterson strike of 1913, was acquitted last week of the charge of inciting to riot that had been pending since the jury disagreed in her first trial in July, 1913. This is the last of the cases growing directly out of the strike of two years ago that will be tried, and the verdict sets Miss Flynn free to continue her contest over free speech with the Paterson authorities.

Chief of Police Bimson said that the trial narrowed down to a question of the veracity of the police officials and Miss Flynn’s supporters, “and evidently the police hadn't been believed.”

The calling of the case to trial at this time came as a surprise. In the summer of 1913, three strike leaders were tried following similar indictments—Patrick Quinlan, Carlo Tresca and Miss Flynn herself. Feeling in Paterson at that time was bitter against the I. W. W. and the defense believed that it would be difficult to obtain a fair trial. Nevertheless a Passaic county jury disagreed in the first trial of Quinlan. A second trial resulted in his conviction with a sentence of two to seven years in the penitentiary. Attorneys for the defense then secured an order from Supreme Court Justice Minturn directing that in the other cases pending, juries should be drawn from outside Passaic county. Tried before so-called “foreign” juries, Tresca was acquitted, and in the case of Miss Flynn the jury disagreed. No move toward a new trial was made at the time.

Within the last few months Miss Flynn has again gone to Paterson to address bodies of workingmen. On September 4, October 15, and November 12 the police kept her from entering the hall where the meeting was to be held, and ordered her to leave the city. When she told Police Chief Bimson that she had the right to speak in Paterson, he is reported to have said, “You may have the right, but we have the power."

At the time of her third attempt to speak, on November 12, she was accompanied to Paterson by a group of New York women who spoke in a hall, while Miss Flynn stood outside before a row of policemen, who prevented her from entering. It was a short time after this that County Prosecutor Dunn moved for her trial on the old indictment.

Her acquittal by a foreign jury has been made the occasion by friends of Quinlan for pointing out the fact that Quinlan was convicted by a Paterson jury on practically the same evidence as was presented against Miss Flynn. Miss Flynn has stated that she will continue her attempt to speak in Paterson and Chief Bimson says he will prevent her from doing so unless the mayor revokes the written orders which he handed the chief last September.

[Photographs and emphasis added.]

Miss Flynn, Adolph Lessig, and Smiling Joe Ettor brought the message of industrial unionism to the silk workers of Paterson last October. They were forced to hold their meeting in the Haledon woods near to Paterson. The October 21st edition of a Bernardsville, New Jersey, newspaper carried this report:

AGITATORS HOLD OUTDOOR MEETING
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Barred From Paterson, Speakers
Harangue Crowd in Woods.
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URGE FORCE FOR RIGHTS
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I. W. W. Orators Rap Police Order-
Will Seek Injunction in the
Courts-Messages Sent
Wilson and Fielder.
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(Special Trenton Correspondence.)
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Elizabeth Gurley Flynn with Pat Quinlan, Carlo Tresca, Adolph Lessig,
and Big Bill Haywood at Paterson, New Jersey 1913

Trenton.-Just across the city line from Paterson, in the Haledon woods, three I. W. W. agitators addressed a crowd of about 1,000 men and women silk workers of this city and talked strike to them, and told them that now is the time to strike, and one said: "You may have to resort to your strong armes and backs. You might get somewhere by using these." They also had much to say about the police of that city.

At the close of the meeting two telegrams were sent, one to President Wilson and the other to Governor Fielder, asking these officials to see that the workers here were given "right conditions." At the conclusion of the telegram is the following: "Our intention is to exhaust every legal means to see that we get our rights. If we cannot be satisfied this way, we will obtain our rights in some other manner." These telegrams were signed by Adolph Lessig, [local] secretary, I. W. W. Neither Lessig nor any of the other talkers would explain what was meant by "another manner."

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Adolph Lessig and Joseph J. Ettor, all well-known I. W. W. agitators, were the speakers at the open air meeting. The meeting was originally called for the purpose of protesting against the action of the police of this city in refusing to allow any of the I. W. W. agitators to address meetings here, but before the meeting ended it had been turned into a talk on strike and proper organization.

Miss Flynn Raps Police.
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As was expected, Miss Flynn rapped the police of this city because they would not allow her to talk here on a couple of occasions recently. She reiterated her former statement that she would "talk in Paterson yet, if it's the last thing I do before I die." She went on to say that when she was talking with Chief of Police Bimson here a couple of weeks ago, Bimson told her that the silk workers of Paterson were ignorant foreigners and have no brains. "If Bimson is right," said the speaker, "I guess you will have to resort to your strong arms and backs. You might get somewhere by using these."

Mis Flynn said the police had allowed the silk manufacturers to hold their convention in this city without police interference or scrutiny. "That's because the manufacturers have brains," she said.

Lessig said a meeting had been arranged for the next Sunday in the Haledon woods for the purpose of raising funds to aid Patrick Quinlan, one of their organizers, to get out of prison. Quinlan was convicted for his part in the big strike in Paterson a couple of years ago and is now in Trenton State Prison.

Lessig also said that the I. W. W. now proposed to take the matter of free speech into the courts and made the boast that within two weeks any I. W. W. speaker who chose will be able to talk in Paterson without fear of the police. "We will get an injunction from the courts to prevent the police from interfering with our meetings," said Lessig in conclusion.

It was then arranged that the two telegrams should be sent to President Wilson and Governor Fielder, asking these officials to see that the I. W. W. got their rights from the courts and the police.

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[Photographs and emphasis added.]

SOURCES

The Survey, Volume 35
Survey Associates, 1916
https://books.google.com/books?id=bLU5AQAAMAAJ
The Survey of Dec 11, 1915
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=bLU5AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcove...
"Elizabeth Flynn's Contest with Paterson"
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=bLU5AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcove...

The News-Recorder
(Bernardsville, New Jersey)
-Oct 21, 1915
http://www.newspapers.com/image/95075425/

The Evening World
(New York, New York)
-Dec 3, 1915
(Source for date of acquittal.)
http://www.newspapers.com/image/85289014/

IMAGES
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn v Billy Sunday
-from Fort Wayne (IN) News of Mar 20, 1915
http://www.newspapers.com/image/34702894/
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn with Pat Quinlan, Carlo Tresca, Adolph Lessig,
and Big Bill Haywood at Paterson, New Jersey 1913
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1913_Paterson_silk_strike
Joseph Ettor, (Smiling Joe)
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAettor.htm
Patrick Quinlan, sent to prison, Current Opinion of Aug 1913
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=4K1XAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcove...

See also:
Hellraisers Journal: Quinlan Defiant as Silk Barons Railroad Him to Prison:
"Down With Capitalism!" by JayRaye
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/3/22/1372424/-Hellraisers-Journal-Qui...

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"There Is Power In A Union," lyrics by Billy Bragg
http://www.lyriczz.com/lyrics/billy-bragg/243143-there-is-power-in-a-union/

The Union forever defending our rights
Down with the blackleg, all workers unite
With our brothers and our sisters from many far off lands
There is power in a Union